Spinal clamp or splint



Dec. 18, 1956 c, s, CLEVELAND, JR 2,774,350

SPINAL CLAMP OR SPLINT Filed Sept. 8, 1952 'IIIII.

a INVENTOR. Cd/'/ .5 6/e e/an4J/r BY g 47'TORN United States Patent-OSPINAL CLAMP R SPLINT Carl S. Cleveland, In, Kansas City, Mo.

Application September 8, 1952, Serial No. 308,337

4 Claims. (Cl. 128-92) This invention relates to the treatment of thespinal column, and includes a novel clamp or splint having means forattachment directly to the vertebrae for realigning and holding the samein proper position during healing, presenting therefore, one form ofstructure for carrying out the method of spinal therapy hereof.

The medical profession has heretofore universally accepted the principlethat misaligned vertebrae could not be successfully corrected,overlooking the fact that the ligaments of the spine, serving as theprimary support for the vertebrae, are attenuable in the same manner asthe ligaments of the arm, leg or jaw. I have discovered however, thatthe misplaced vertebra can be gradually and progressively returned toproper position and, after being held in place for a period of time, itwill thereafter normally remain corrected when released.

During treatment in accordance with the principles hereof, one of theopposed spinal ligaments is held taut while the tension on the otherligament is relaxed. After such stretching has continued for a time, theattenuated ligament will retain its new, normal condition and bothligaments will thereafter function in the proper manner to hold thevertebrae in alignment.

It is the primary object of this invention therefore, to provide amethod of treatment that includes pulling misplaced vertebrae into placerelative to adjacent vertebrae, and holding the same in such alignedposition a sufiicient period of time to readjust the tension on theopposed ligaments so that the latter will thereafter function alone inthe normal manner to hold the previously misaligned vertebrae againstmisplacement.

The most important object of this invention is to provide a methodwherein the realignment step is gradual and progressive, depending onthe case, so that the ligament being attenuated will resume its normaltension as the result of the steady, continued pull thereon, andtherefore, be less likely to retract and again draw one or more of thevertebrae out of place after release.

Another important object hereof is the provision of a method thatemploys the use of the vertebrae themselves, i. e. the properinterconnection of the misplaced vertebrae with a pair of adjacentvertebrae as a means of readjustment in the manner above set forth.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a spinal bracehaving a plurality of vertebra clamps adjustable in a plurality ofdirections relative to each other, to the end that the misplacedvertebra or vertebrae may be drawn into place and held in a properposition with respect to adjacent vertebrae throughout the time thatmending takes place.

Another object hereof is to provide a brace for the spine that includesa plurality of elongated members, each of which is in turn provided witha clamp for one of the spinous processes, which clamping means includesa pair of relatively movable fingers, one of which in turn has anelement adapted to pierce said processes.

Other objects of this invention include the way in which 2,774,350Patented Dec. 18, 1956 the elongated members are shiftable along theirlongitudinal axes; the Way in which one of the members is renderedswingable toward and away from adjacent members; the manner of adjustingthe members and therefore, the fingers thereon toward and away from eachother; and many additional objects including novel details ofconstruction, all of which will be made clear or become apparent as thefollowing specification progresses.

In the drawing:

Figure 1 is a side elevational view of a preferred form of spinal clampor splint on an enlarged scale for carrying out the method of thepresent invention.

Fig. 2 is a top plan view thereof.

Fig. 3 is an end elevational view thereof.

Fig. 4 is a side elevational view similar to Fig. 1 on a reduced scaleshowing the same operably mounted on the vertebrae; and

Fig. 5 is a top plan view illustrating the manner of attachment as inFig. 4.

The spinal clamp illustrated in the drawing, includes a pair of spaced,elongated, parallel supports or guide rods 14 and 16 for slidablyreceiving a pair of spaced, parallel crossheads 10 and 12 through themedium of openings provided in the latter, as is clear in Fig. 3.Releasable means for holding the crossheads 10 and 12 againstreciprocable movemnet toward and away from each other with respect tothe guide rods 14 and 16, consists of a setscrew 18 at each end of eachcrosshead 10 and 12 respectively, which normally bears against thecorresponding guide rod 14 or 16 as the case may be.

The guide rods 14 and 16 are each provided with a perforated bossintermediate the ends thereof and rigid thereto, said bosses beingdesignated by the numerals 20 and 22 respectively. Bosses 2i and 22loosely receive a third crosshead 24, for rotation on the longitudinalaxis of the crosshead 24 and reciprocation on said axis with respect tothe bosses 20 and 22. The crosshead 24 is in the nature of a screw andreceives a pair of nuts 26 that bear against the bosses 20 and 22 toreleasably hold the crosshead 24 against rotation and reciprocation inthe manner aforementioned.

Crosshea-ds 10, 12 and 24 carry elongated bolt members 28, 30 and 32respectively for reciprocation on their longitudinal axes with respectto the corresponding crossheads. Each crosshead 10, 12 and 24 isprovided with an opening for reciving the bolt members 28, 30, and 32respectively, and each of the last mentioned members is in turn providedwith a pair of opposed nuts 34 for releasably and adjustably holding themembers 28, 30 and 32 in place with respect to their crossheads. Eachmember 28, 3t) and 32 is provided with clamping means broadly designatedby the numeral 36 on one end thereof remote from the nuts 34. Since thethree clamping means 36 are identical, only one will be described.

A finger 38 rigid to the member 28, 3%] or 32, as the case may be, has alaterally extending, externally threaded projection 49 parallel with thecorresponding crosshead 10, 12 and 24 for receiving a second finger 42that is reciprocable on the extension 4-6 toward and away from thefinger 38. Finger, 42 is perforat d as shown in Fig; 2 for slid-ablemounting on the extension 40, and a nut 44 on the extension 4% holds thefinger 42 against outward movement away from the finger 38. An elongatedpiercing element or pin 46 on the finger 42, is aligned with an opening48 in the finger 38.

The spinal brace is used in the manner illustrated by Figs. 4 and 5 ofthe drawing, wherein is shown a spinal column 59 having -a plurality ofvertebrae 52. The fingers 33 and 42 are designed to clamp directly onthe spinous processes 54 of each of three vertebrae 52. It is butnecessary to manipulate the nut 44 to cause the element 46 to pierce'thesaid spinous process 54 of each vertebra 52 respectively, whereupon theelement 46 enters opening 48 as shown in Figs .;2 and 5. d V V, Throughuse of the various means of adjustment of V the component'par'ts'ofthespinal clamp, it is possible to surgeon to shift the crossheads and 12toward or away from each other. The bolt member 32 is not only'shiftable'with respect to cro'sshead 24 by manipulation of nuts 34thereof, but can be shifted with respect to guides 14'and 16'toeither'reciprocate crosshead 24 relative to the bosses 20 and 22, or toswing the clamping means 36 on the member 32 in the direction of thearrows shown in Fig. l .of the drawing. The arrow in Fig. 3 of the.drawing, indicates the manner of shifting the screw 24 with respect tothe supports 14 and 16. It is manifest that once the three vertebrae 52are relatively aligned as shown in Fig. 4 of the drawing, tightening ofall of the nuts 26, 34 and 44, as well as the setscrews 18, renders allof the component parts of the clamp relatively immovable, and theoriginally misplaced vertebra 52 cannot shift in any direction withrespect'to the two outermost vertebrae 52 while the patient changespositions.

Itis clear from the above that the method hereof ineludes the step ofmaking an incision to expose the spinous processes of the misplacedvertebrae as well as those of a pair of properly aligned vertebrae. Inthis connection, although the drawings hereof illustrate a clamp forrealigning but one vertebra, it is obvious that the clamp could easilybe modified to permit treatment wherein a number of vertebrae needingcorrection would be re placed simultaneously if desired. 7

In some cases it may be possible to attach the clamp and immediatelydraw the misplaced vertebra into place. More often however, thecondition will have existed for a rather long period of time, one of theligaments being stretched or attenuated abnormally and the opposed liga-1 ment being relaxed, and therefore, substantially shorter than normal.The word attenuation is used herein to indicate either abnormalelongation of a ligament or the stretching of a ligament from anabnormally shortened condition to. a normal condition. The shortenedligament must be attenuated gradually, otherwise upon release of theclamp it will tend to resume its shorter condition and pull the vertebrabeing corrected back toward the incorrect, misaligned position.

In accordance with the method hereof therefore, the

, clamp is manipulated periodically in the manner above explained, eachtime drawing the misplaced'v'ertebra nearer the correct position, andeach time placing an increased pull or tension on the ligamentthat'becarne balanced tension on opposite sides of the vertebrae to holdthe latter in proper alignment, whereupon the clamp may be removed, andthe original incision sutured for healing.

Having thus described the invention what is claimed the longitudinalaxes of the guide rods; means releasably a holding said pair ofcross-heads upon the guide rods to maintain a predetermined relativepositioning between said pair of cross-heads and to hold the guide rodsin.

spaced parallelism; means rigid to each guide rodrespectively,shiftablymounting the remaining cross-head on the guide rods betweensaid pair of cross-heads for recip-. rocation along and rotation aboutits longitudinal 'axis with the longitudinal axis of the remainingcross-head perpendicular to the longitudinalaxes of the guide rods; anelongated member for each cross-head respectively; means mounting eachmember on a corresponding crosshead between said'guide rods inperpendicularly extend- 7 ing relationship to its -cross-head forreciprocation of the member along and rotation about its longitudinal.axis; and structure on each member respectively for. releasably holdingthe spinous process of avertebra.

2. A spinal brace as setforth in claim 1, wherein each of saidstructures includes a pair of elongated, spaced, parallel fingers; meansmounting the fingers on the membet for, relative shifting movementtoward and away from each 0ther,'and an elongated, pointed pin on. oneof the fingers having a length for piercing and extending through thedorsal process of a vertebra, there being an opening in the other fingerfor clearing said pin.

3. A spinal brace as set forth inclaim 1 wherein each of said structuresincludes a pair of fingers, each member 7 having adevice mounting one ofthe fingers thereof for movement rectilinearly toward and away from theother finger'thereof; and means on each device respectivelyfor holdingthe-fingers attached to a" dorsal process of a vertebra. v

- 4. A' spinal brace as set forth in claim 3, wherein said i one fingerof each member is provided with an'elongated,

pointed pin having a length for piercing and extending through saiddorsal process.

References Cited in the file of this patent 7 UNITED STATES PATENTS1,302,176

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